Just a bit too late

[tbob]

I have been looking at this picture for the past two weeks and not processing it Every time I looked at it I remembered how frustrated I was at the time. Finally decided to process and get it out of my head.

The aurora was forecast to be quite good after midnight so I set my internal alarm to get up at 11:30 and check. I woke up at about 11:45 and checked The aurora was brilliant with veils and quite rare purple and red streaks. I grabbed the gear, got dressed and drove quickly about a kilometre to an open field.

When I got there the aurora was spectacular. Set up and got two shots before I realized the autofocus was still set to ON, on the lens, so everything was blurry. Turned it off. Ran to the car to have light to set the focus to just off infinity. Turned around and the aurora had faded to this. It then progressively faded and clouds drifted in obscuring the sky. Waited 45 minutes and decided to go home.

If I had woken up when I planned, If I had set the camera properly at 8 pm when I decided to go out, If I had brought the pocket flashlight as I usually do, IF, IF.

[Brev00]

That is a sad story. It is definitely a reminder to me to get set up early. I tend not to shoot such time sensitive stuff, but, if I do, I will try to remember this unfortunate episode.

[John 2]

Trevor, at least you saw what must have been a wonderful sight even if you didn't quite capture it. And anyway, this image is very nice in it's own right.

[Nicola]

I have been looking at this picture for the past two weeks and not processing it Every time I looked at it I remembered how frustrated I was at the time. Finally decided to process and get it out of my head.

The aurora was forecast to be quite good after midnight so I set my internal alarm to get up at 11:30 and check. I woke up at about 11:45 and checked The aurora was brilliant with veils and quite rare purple and red streaks. I grabbed the gear, got dressed and drove quickly about a kilometre to an open field.

When I got there the aurora was spectacular. Set up and got two shots before I realized the autofocus was still set to ON, on the lens, so everything was blurry. Turned it off. Ran to the car to have light to set the focus to just off infinity. Turned around and the aurora had faded to this. It then progressively faded and clouds drifted in obscuring the sky. Waited 45 minutes and decided to go home.

If I had woken up when I planned, If I had set the camera properly at 8 pm when I decided to go out, If I had brought the pocket flashlight as I usually do, IF, IF.

Trevor, it is a very beatiful picture for me. Maybe just because it's something completely unknown to me. I have seen some of those in tv, but never with my own eyes.
I see in your profile you are located in British Columbia, is that kind of aurora quite frequent at that latitude?

[bnnrcn]

Beautiful

[Shadowman]

At least you got a taste of the possibilities, nice effort.

[NorthernFocus]

...If you can meet with triumph and disaster
and treat those two imposters both the same... (from memory, hope I got it right )

[tbob]

That is a sad story. It is definitely a reminder to me to get set up early. I tend not to shoot such time sensitive stuff, but, if I do, I will try to remember this unfortunate episode.

The brutal aspect is I thought I finally had a system in place to ensure I would not forget to set up the camera. ISO to 1600, Manual set to BULB and 4.5 aperture, focus set to just shy of infinity, cable release connected, charged battery. Just forgot the one tiny aspect of throwing the switch on the lens to Manual.

[tbob]

Trevor, it is a very beatiful picture for me. Maybe just because it's something completely unknown to me. I have seen some of those in tv, but never with my own eyes.
I see in your profile you are located in British Columbia, is that kind of aurora quite frequent at that latitude?

This has been an exceptional year for the intensity of the displays. However weaker auroras are common (weekly?). I live at 55 degrees North and the aurora becomes more frequent and pronounced as go farther north. Once you get to 60 degrees North (about 300 miles north of me) the display is very common and very intense. I live in a very fortunate place for the aurora because the magnetic north pole is south and west of the true north pole so it drags the centre of the auroral arc south and west.

[Brev00]

The brutal aspect is I thought I finally had a system in place to ensure I would not forget to set up the camera. ISO to 1600, Manual set to BULB and 4.5 aperture, focus set to just shy of infinity, cable release connected, charged battery. Just forgot the one tiny aspect of throwing the switch on the lens to Manual.

If you were able to do a few practice clicks, you would have been able to correct your mistake in time. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. I say that because I got one of my more memorable pics catching the sunset at Gettysburg. I was on the run trying to get to the park after dropping my daughter off at camp. When I got to the park, I had only a few moments of light. I had been there before so I knew where I wanted to go for these late moments. Got the shot. But, that is a style I would not necessarily recommend for myself or anyone else. Sort of like playing with fire. I probably have missed many shots doing that. The trick is to remember those you got. Good luck the next time out.

[IzzieK]

Trevor, for a professional photographer like you, I'd never imagine, even in my dreams, that you can still forget something you had always done with your camera beforehand. But you are allowed to be human and getting up at 11:30pm is no mean feat. I think there will be more opportunity for another aurora for you seeing that you live in the Northern Hemisphere unlike us here in the Midwest.

During this season we had an aurora event announcement but we were too busy to bother flying to the site because of the time that the newspaper announced it will happen. We never heard anything about it since. Either it was a no show or we missed the newsflash. You are so lucky to be living in a place where this kind of phenomenon is very common, but I wouldn't live in a cold place like yours to begin with so I will just enjoy your images in the safety of my warm den instead of shivering to death in the cold...I love all your images anyway...and this one is beautiful to me.

[Tronhard]

You may see what could have been and be disappointed. I see what you did do and and find it absolutely breathtaking Trevor. Fantastic!

[Wavelength]

Wow

[marlunn]

its a great image, not what you envisaged or wanted but still a great image - at that time - everything is blurry to me anyway